Retired Turkish Police Officer Kills Himself at Pension Protest

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A retired Turkish police officer died by suicide during a pension protest in Ankara after reportedly saying he could no longer make ends meet.

The incident occurred on Friday as retirees staged simultaneous demonstrations across Turkey, calling for a general increase in pension payments.

In Ankara, protesters gathered outside the Constitutional Court, where they called for higher pensions and said their current payments no longer covered basic living costs.

According to the report, retired police officer Ali S. shouted that he could not make ends meet before shooting himself with a firearm he was carrying.

The incident has shocked Turkey and has drawn renewed attention to the financial pressures facing pensioners.

Ali S. had also urged people to attend the pension protest in a social media post before the demonstration.

“If you are not there, one person will be missing,” he wrote, urging people not to think, “What difference will it make if I don’t come?”

“There is strength in unity. My God, you hear the cries within us. May our state and those who govern us hear them too,” he added.

Pensioners demand rights, not charity

The incident has emerged amid wider dissatisfaction over Turkey’s economic conditions, particularly among retirees.

Protesters said their pensions had fallen below the hunger threshold and demanded higher incomes.

“Not charity. We demand our rights,” pensioners chanted during the demonstrations.

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